


Words Before Dawn

by Alexwritesfics



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Cuddling, Fluff, Handholding, M/M, Pre-Relationship, fear of spiders, late-night conversations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-05
Updated: 2015-12-05
Packaged: 2018-05-05 04:01:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5360480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alexwritesfics/pseuds/Alexwritesfics
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Andy turns to Thomas for some help at two in the morning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Words Before Dawn

'...Um, M-Mister Barrow?'

It was two in the morning.

Two. In. The. Bloody. Morning.

And yet here Andy Parker was, standing in the doorway of Thomas' room with ruffled hair and a fidgety, anxious demeanour.

' _Good morning,_ Andy,' Thomas said, irritation clear in his voice. He always loved to see Andy, more than he would like to admit to himself, but it was too early for conversation and the sight of Andy at his door would cause a stir if it was ever witnessed by the rest of the staff.

'I-I'm sorry if I woke you,' Andy said, wilting slightly. 'I didn't know who else to turn to.'

Thomas felt a rush of affection overtake his tired body despite his better judgement. '...It's alright - I was struggling to sleep meself,' he lied. 'Would you like to come in for a bit? It would probably be best...' He winced. 'We wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea.'

Andy's eyes widened slightly and he nodded seriously, stepping into the dark of Thomas' room. 'I don't mean to stay long,' Andy mumbled as he shut the door behind himself. 'It's just... It's so silly of me, but-'

'-Go on,' Thomas said, rubbing absentmindedly at one of his eyes. 'You can tell me.'

'But you'll think me a fool, Mister Barrow.'

'Don't worry, I won't.' When Andy continued to hesitate, Thomas tried again to reassure him. 'You can tell me whatever's on your mind... It's obviously a problem worth sorting out if it's keeping you up at night.'

Andy sighed in exasperation, pointedly avoiding Thomas' gaze. '...It's, it's the spider in my room, Mister Barrow!'

Thomas' first instinct was to laugh.

He was later glad that he hadn't given into it.

The underbutler cleared his throat. '..."The spider"?' Thomas repeated, trying to sound as solemn as possible.

'It's bigger than the ones we g-get in the city, they _always_ are, and usually if I ignore them then they go away, but this one in my room tonight, he won't leave-'

'-Well, why don't you just pick the spider up and put it outside?' Thomas said with exasperated fondness.

'I-I can't, I-' Andy sighed again. 'I don't _like_ them...!'

'Well, I'm not particularly fond of them either,' Thomas said, quirking an eyebrow despite himself. 'I always catch one looking down at me when I'm trying to get ready for bed of an evening. But there's a lot of them where the servants live. You just kind of learn to ignore them or get rid.'

'N-No, you don't understand... It's more than that. I know it's silly of me but I can't _stand_ them, and this one's big... I used to be able to grin and bear it back when I was in London, but spiders in the country are bloody huge.' Even in the dark, Thomas could see the colour rushing to Andy's cheeks.

Thomas suppressed a sigh of his own. '...Let's take a look then, shall we?'

~*~

'...Is he gone?' Thomas asked gently, not finding any sign of the notorious spider in the candlelight of Andy's room.

'...I hope to God he's not hiding in here somewhere,' Andy said.

'Don't have Mister Carson catch you taking the Lord's name in vain,' Thomas said, trying to lighten the mood. 'The mouth on you sometimes, honestly...'

Andy blushed even harder at that, but he smiled nevertheless.

Thomas spotted something dark in the corner of his eye.

'...I think we've found the bugger,' he said, taking a few steps closer. It was on the wall by Andy's bed, and _blimey,_ Andy had been telling the truth. It wasn't the largest spider Thomas had ever seen, but it was still large enough to send a little shiver of uneasiness through the underbutler. 'He's big, isn't he? You weren't joking.'

'...I'm so sorry about getting you up so early,' Andy said in a small voice. 'I'm not a little boy anymore. I should be able to do this.'

'It's probably just playing on your mind with how tired you are,' Thomas reasoned. 'We worry about all sorts of things at night.' There was an awkward pause. '...Do you want me to get rid of it for you?'

'N-No, no, should do it. It's my job. I'm a grown man. And now you're here...' Andy swallowed nervously, looking uncharacteristically glum. '...I'd feel like I'd be doing you wrong if I didn't at least try, Mister Barrow.' The footman advanced towards where the spider was placed, hands noticeably trembling. Shadows jumped with the flickering of the candle, making things appear to be simultaneously larger and smaller than they actually were.

'...Have you got it in your hands?' Thomas asked after a moment.

'Y-Yes,' Andy said, sounding remarkably unsteady. 'I-I'll just be a minute...'

Thomas struggled to focus on the situation through aching eyes, feeling like the walking dead. Or the yawning dead.

He hadn't been this tired in a while. It had been hard to sleep at night after Jimmy departed from Downton, but he'd picked himself back up and tried to move on.

_It's just my luck though, isn't it? Now another man's keeping me up at night..._

Andy finally shut the window with shaking hands and a look of extreme distaste on his face. '...It's gone, I think,' the footman said before a deep sigh of something like relief, beads of sweat still clinging to his forehead.

Thomas knew that now everything was done and dusted with, he should probably take his leave and try to get some rest before his wake-up call. But Andy still seemed shaken.

'...Would you like a glass of water?' Thomas asked, and Andy made a noise of affirmation.

~*~

'I feel like such a little boy,' Andy said with a sigh as he flopped back onto the bed. Glasses of water now drank, Thomas was sat on the bed as well, both of them tired but too preoccupied with their thoughts to sleep.

'You still did it though,' Thomas said, lighting a cigarette. 'You got the job done. You're just getting used to the country.'

'I should be over things like this by now,' Andy said, brushing his curls back with his hand.

'-I'm scared of things too, y'know.' He took a long drag of the cigarette, forcing himself to meet Andy's gaze. He didn't know what had made him say it - maybe he was just yearning to reach out and relate to someone. Maybe he was just bloody tired.

'Really?' Andy said, sounding as tired as Thomas felt. 'Don't take this the wrong way, but you really don't seem like the type...'

'Everyone's scared of things sometimes. Some things more than others...'

Thomas felt Andy's hand take his own - the gloved one, to be exact. It was a loose grip, but it was real.

Thomas stubbed out his cigarette, rubbing his eye again. Andy stifled a yawn, which in turn set Thomas off, making them both giggle for a little while.

'I don't think it was the spider so much as where I am right now,' Andy murmured. 'I've got everything I've ever wanted... I'm finally a footman, and everyone back home is proud of me. A-And I love it here, don't get me wrong... But I'm finding it hard to adjust. Everything's unfamiliar, especially the wildlife... It's quieter out here, but I still keep hearing strange noises at night.'

Thomas squeezed Andy's hand gently, feeling connected to Andy like he never had before. He was so tired that he felt like he was floating - it was like the world had stopped turning. The vast silence of the abbey made it as if Thomas and Andy were the only two people in the world left awake.

'I got nightmares when I moved here,' Thomas said before he could stop himself. 'I knew I was lucky to be here, but I-I, I didn't exactly leave my family on the best of terms and everything here felt... _wrong,_ somehow. And I found it hard to fit in with the rest of them. You don't have that problem though, do you?' Andy made an embarrassed but flattered noise. '...Don't deny it,' Thomas said teasingly. 'You're a charmer from what I hear.'

'I can never thank you enough...' Andy said.

'...What, for helping you with a spider?' Thomas asked, finally allowing himself a small chuckle on the subject. 'You don't have to thank me for something like that. You ended up doing all of the work anyway.'

'For getting me this job, I mean. I know it was you who put a good word in for me. I hear things, too.'

'...I didn't mean anything untoward,' Thomas said quickly, trying not to show his panic. 'I need you to know that, and it needs to come from me.'

'I know you didn't,' Andy said softly, something strange and new in his tone of voice. 'Don't be scared, o-or uncomfortable. I didn't mean to pry. I just think what you did was really nice of you. An' I mean that.'

Thomas bit his lip, still trying to keep his exterior self measured and in control. 'I didn't want you to think you needed my word just to get on in service. You're good at your job, Andy.'

'Thank-you... I try hard to measure up to the rest of you. And I think I'm fitting in like you said I was.'

'You are.'

'...Y'know... We don't have much longer 'til we have to get up.'

'We have a few hours, yet,' Thomas said. 'I should go, and you should get some sleep. We've got a busy day ahead of us.'

'...It could be back,' Andy said with that strange something in his voice again.

'...What could be?'

'-The spider.'

Thomas sighed a little. 'Andy, now you're just being-'

'-It could be back,' Andy said with more emphasis in his words this time round, 'so maybe... Maybe you should stay.'

_Oh._

Thomas felt the heat rise to his face as Andy squeezed his hand.

'...Just for your protection, like,' Thomas said, feeling something blooming in his chest as he finally caught on. 'Just 'til I have to go back.'

'You'd be doing me a favour, really,' Andy said, hand shaking a little, but he was smiling just then, not frightened anymore. 'It wouldn't feel right to just... _lie here_ and hope for the spider to keep its distance. I'd really appreciate it, Mister Barrow.'

Thomas lay down properly on the bed, Andy letting go of his hand only to slide up next to the underbutler. It was cramped on the narrow single bed, but Thomas enjoyed the comforting warmth of someone else by his side.

'...It's Thomas to you,' Thomas said, smiling in the dark as Andy held his hand again.

'...Thomas,' Andy said, as if he somehow enjoying saying it. He leaned into Thomas, wrapping him in a haphazard but tender embrace.

'Thomas,' the footman said again, happy as could be, and Thomas' smile grew wider.

The spider didn't return that morning.

Still, they both agreed that Thomas would stop by more often to see that it stayed away. Just in case.


End file.
